Inmate ordered released after DNA tests

UPI, Dec. 6, 2002
http://www.upi.com/

BATON ROUGE, La., Dec. 6 (UPI) — A Louisiana inmate was ordered released from prison Friday after DNA tests indicated he served 16 years for a rape he did not commit.

State District Judge Michael Erwin ordered that Gene Bibbins be freed after hearing that two DNA tests had found that he was not the rapist who attacked a 13-year-girl in 1986 at Baton Rouge. He was ordered to post a $5,000 bond until the results were official.

Bibbins was expected to be released to his family later in the day after posting the bond and signing some release papers at the Louisiana State Penitentiary. His conviction will be removed from court records when the results are official.

The first DNA test conducted in November indicated that Bibbins was not the rapist and then a second test conducted this week by the East Baton Rouge Parish district attorney confirmed it. The district attorney did not oppose Bibbins released.

Bibbins’ family members were overjoyed when they heard the second test had confirmed that he was innocent as they had always insisted.

“Hallelujah,” sister Carolyn Bibbins told the Baton Rouge Advocate.

His daughter, Esclamonda White, said her father’s release was more good news for the family. She recently learned she is pregnant with her third child.

“He’ll be able to help you raise this one,” Carolyn Bibbins told her niece.

Gene Bibbins was the first Louisiana inmate to be freed under a new state law that gives convicts access to DNA testing if they can show a judge they may be innocent. An inmate is given four years to make his case for testing under the law.

A jury took less than an hour to convict Bibbins in 1987 after hearing police reports and testimony that pointed to him as the rapist.

Although the victim identified Bibbins, defense attorneys believe the key to his wrongful conviction was a stolen radio found in his possession. The radio had been taken from the room where the girl was raped but Bibbins said he found it behind the building.

Bibbens was sentenced to life in prison for aggravated rape and 30 years for aggravated burglary.

Read Another Article

White Supremacist Concert Set at Secret Jacksonville Site
Men Wrongfully Convicted Of Murder Forced To Relive Nightmare

Related News Articles Topic(s): USA Subscribe to Religion News Blog updates Subscribe to Religion News Blog [What is this?] Get Religion News Blog's headline by Email [What is this?] Follow Religion News Blog at Twitter Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults: ApologeticsSearch.com: Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs. CounterCultSearch.com: Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, and cults experts -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support. Find Related Religion & Spirituality Books at Amazon.com USA Possibly related... or Most Popular Religion News Articles Kent Hovind: Evangelist arrested on federal charges Beast’s real mark devalued to ’616′ Muslim Woman Gives Sex Advice on Arab TV Michael Jackson Confirms Conversion to Islam Kent Hovind, ‘Dr. Dino,’ guilty on all counts The fall and rise of Carlton Pearson Search False prophet Harold Camping sets another date for rapture: May 21, 2011 Watch the film Theo van Gogh was murdered for Kent Hovind — Dr. Dino — sentenced to 10 years in prison

Search Religion News Blog